Although Apple did not mention release dates for its upcoming operating systems during its iPhone introduction, the company quietly added those dates to the associated Web pages for its core operating systems. We now know we can expect macOS 26 Tahoe, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26 to ship on 15 September 2025. I assume that tvOS 26 and HomePod Software 26 will ship simultaneously. Unlike with the last few major operating system releases, Apple isn’t indicating that any promised features will be postponed to later updates.
For everything except macOS 26 Tahoe, I recommend waiting a few days to make sure no unexpected bugs crop up. Then, upgrade when you have some time to explore the new features without pressure. With Tahoe, I urge more caution, particularly for production Macs, until you’re confident the software you rely on is compatible. Regardless, make sure you have a backup before upgrading any device.
Agreed. I see that the release of Sequoia 15.7 is imminent, so I think I will stay with that as long as it is supported on my Mac. Between Liquid Glass and comments from developers, it feels like waiting a bit before updating anything important.
I’ll likewise wait a bit before getting iOS 26, even though I usually do “upgrade” my iPhone right away.
As usual, it is best to wait until at least OS 26.2 arrives, as the initial release, and the .1 version, will have bugs. Would not be surprised if the .2 version has bugs also, which just means I’ll just wait until OS 26 is free of just about all “initial” bugs.
Also, and especially for me, need to insure that all the third party software I use is compatible with OS 26. One program I am certain will have a new release is Onyx. But I have at leats 5 or 6 other critical programs that will need to be compatible with Tahoe.
And with OS 15.7 due to be released soon, that is good enough for me.
This is the first iOS/iPadOS release where there aren’t any new features that I find compelling, and the macOS 26 visual redesign is terrible. As a result, I’m kind of inclined to stay on the old operating systems across my devices. I know Apple releases security updates for older OS versions for a while, but it also seems like the list of security fixes in the current OS is a lot longer than in the older OS. Does anyone know if Apple only fixes the “most important” security issues in the older versions of their operating systems? How long is it “safe” to stay on an older (but still supported) OS if working in an environment where security is very important?
You ask : how long do you stay on older macOS releases?
My sarcastic answer is: How long is a piece of string?
Sarcasm aside, it depends on your risk tolerance and online behavior.
The list of security issues fixed in the current release may be because of Apple’s support policy, not because the older releases have fewer issues. I believe that the 2 older supported releases don’t get all of the security patches that the current release does. I think I remember seeing that only the more critical flaws are patched in older releases. Because of this policy, the safest release may very well be the current one.
Judging by the Apple’s security release notes, that seems to be the case. Although it’s true that not every vulnerability in a new operating system is in an older operating system, it’s a frequent occurrence, and it can be difficult to verify. I do think it is worth reading the security notes at Apple’s site, and you may also wish to search for Apple or specific subsystems at https://www.cve.org/ .
Unfortunately, you have to decide what is critical enough to require updating/upgrading in the end.
I’m pretty confident Apple makes a well informed and at least somewhat well intentioned decision which bugs to patch in older OS versions. I would hope they also base that on actual hazard risk and not just on their effort (bottom line). Keep in mind the PR damage an OS creator suffers when some major breach happens by no fault of the customer (especially when such a customer is a big company or a public entity), but merely through a deliberately unpatched hole.
In that sense, I’d wager that truly hazardous stuff or stuff with the potential to really expose you, will be patched by Apple on last year’s macOS version. (not saying it’s the same for 2 versions behind).
And along those lines, I’d be very cautious to be pushed into constantly upgrading because of some nebulous “security” notion. Like with TSA, there is also a lot of security kabuki in the tech world. There’s an entire cabal of self-proclaimed tech experts or “influencers” out there who seem to have made it their mission to get everybody to always update to the latest and greatest as soon as possible. And that odd clique will leave no argument unused — especially not something along the lines of “if you’re not on the latest macOS you risk being hacked, exposed, identity-stolen, etc”. Note how that advice never gets concrete, everything always remains nebulous, is either hearsay, or just plain unsubstantiated suspicion.
I have yet to hear of a single established case where an entire group of macOS users got hacked due to a hole that had been deliberately left unpatched in last year’s macOS. In this situation, as critical of some aspects of Apple as I am, I do have faith they won’t deliberately hang stragglers out to dry.
Currently Sequoia is stable, and Apple is still supporting it. And they will continue to do so for quite a while. I always plan on moving to the new OS, but not with the initial release. History has proven time and time again that the initial release, plus at least the next 2 (.1 and .2) releases continue to have bugs. Meanwhile, the prior OS has matured, works well, and is stable.
Additionally, there has never been anything “earth shattering” in each new Mac OS version for quite some time, and thus really no need nor no rush to move to it.
And as I also mentioned above, it’s necessary to insure that all third party software one uses is compatible with the new OS. Given that I use third party software exclusively on both of my macs, that is even more reason to wait.
I have been following that strategy for so long, with proven success and no headaches. Typically by the .3 version of the new OS, just about all the bugs are gone, and that is when I make the move (again, as long as all my third party software works with it).
I seem to also remember (but can’t find a link right now) that when 10.13 (High Sierra) was first released, some machines got trashed by the conversion of the boot volume from HFS+ to APFS.
Even if you want to install 26.0, I strongly recommend you wait a week or two before installing on a machine you depend on. This way, if there is a catastrophic bug, you’ll find out about it before risking your computer.
If, on the other hand, you have a Mac that you don’t depend on, and are willing to restore from a backup if the upgrade fails, then by all means install away and report how it went. This will benefit those who want to wait for early reports.
Excellent advice David. Again though, I am not planning on moving to Tahoe until at least the .3 release Sequoia is stable, mature, and Apple still continues to support it.
Anyone else getting a sense of déja vu? I like clear borders and hard corners, and I don’t care for transparency where it serves no purpose other than to use up processor cycles. We are not seeing the benefits of ergonomics here: we are seeing a fashion among designers.
